At this technology extravaganza 1km south of the Kaiserdom across the A61 highway, you can climb aboard a Boeing 747-230 (and wonder how on earth they got the aircraft here, much less mounted it 28m off the ground), a 1960s U-boat that’s claustrophobic even on dry land, and a mammoth Antonov An-22 cargo plane with an all-analogue cockpit and a nose cone you can peer out of. Other highlights include the Soviet space shuttle Buran.
There are also military jets and helicopters from both sides of the former Iron Curtain, and a superb collection of vintage automobiles and fire engines.
The Wilhelmsbau showcases some extraordinary automated musical instruments – all in working order – including a Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina, a player-piano that also bows and fingers two violins, and a Roland orchestrion (1928), which simulates the sound of a soprano accompanying an orchestra.
